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Experts: Stay Inside During An Earthquake

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PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — “I was on the 37th Floor of Comcast Center,” said Vivien Month. “The whole floor was kind of rumbling. Everyone stood up and looked at each other and said, ‘That’s it, everyone evacuate.’”

It’s that same reaction that caused thousands of people downtown to run out of City Hall and several high rise buildings after feeling Tuesday’s earthquake. But making for the nearest exit isn’t what the experts recommend.

“What we want you to do is stay in place,” said Renee Cardwell, with the American Red Cross. “Stay in the building.”

Hughes is the CEO of the Red Cross Southeastern Pennsylvania Chapter. She advises you to move to the corners of a room and away from glass windows.

“Get to the interior of the building, to the core,” said Cardwell. “You want to be in a place where there’s least likelihood something will fall on your head or body.”

There were no reports of any serious injuries, largely because of the magnitude of the quake the well-constructed buildings, says structural engineer Anthony Naccarato.

“Just like we have to design for snow load on a roof, or wind load on a wall, we’re also tasked with designing for seismic events,” said Naccarato.